OEL display panels use less power and offer brighter images and wider viewing angles than competing technologies but have a maximum life span of about 30,000 hours compared to LCD's and plasma's 60,000 hours. Apparently Seiko Epson Corporation has succeeded in extending the life span of OEL panels to more than 50,000 hours.

According to the Japanese daily Nikkei, which cited unnamed company sources, Seiko Epson hopes to enter the organic electroluminescent (OEL) panels business with the aim to take orders for the panels by the end of the year. The company plans to start its OEL production with an eight-inch business-use monitor that is 2.8 millimetres (0.112 inches)-thick at its thinnest part in its plant in Nagano prefecture. The company anticipates demand from stores and other commercial facilities as well as for use as monitors in car navigation systems.